Wozniacki ousts Sharapova in brilliant match

The women's side of the U.S. Open was waiting for a match like this. It was waiting for Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Sharapova to stand toe-to-toe and duke it out. Sharapova's heavy ground strokes versus Wozniacki's dancing feet.

The Open got that match Monday, and Wozniacki got what she was looking for, a 6-3, 6-4 victory.

The score line doesn't tell the tale, doesn't do justice to a superb level of tennis, of top players going after each other on every point, of long rallies (one of 29 shots), of quality shot after shot.

Wozniacki, with four titles on tour this season, had lost only three games in her first three matches here. The longest she had been on court was 1:13. Though Sharapova won only three games in the first set, every point was desperately contested. The set turned when Sharapova's serve failed her in the fourth game as she double-faulted three times in a row to be broken. She got that break back in the seventh game, then Wozniacki punished her serve in the eighth game for a break and held on for the set.

The final stats said that Sharapova committed 38 unforced errors and made nine double faults, but the stats don't tell what's behind an error, and playing against such a rising star as Wozniacki, Sharapova had to go for big shots. She did, but she didn't think she did it enough.

"Even with the unforced errors, I still had my chances and I was 1-for-8 on break points," Sharapova said. "Against someone who is playing really well, playing with a lot of confidence, it's important to take those chances that you have, the very few that come your way."

Wozniacki is the ultimate retriever, running down every ball. Sharapova knew that aggression had to be a big part of her game. "I certainly could have been more aggressive," she said. "I did quite well when I was moving forward and being aggressive. But I don't think I did that enough, and that really allowed her to stand behind the baseline and keep retrieving balls. That's just what she does best."

This was serious tennis, but it had comic relief. In the second game of the second set, Wozniacki came to net after taking a short ball and driving it deep to the ad-court corner. Sharapova tried to lob it over her. Wozniacki tried to backpedal but slipped and fell on her keister. The ball sailed long and she won the point while flat on her back.

"I see her lobbing me. OK, I have to go back," Wozniacki said. "Then I fall on my butt. I'm like, OK, tough luck, I lost the point. Then I look back and couldn't see whether it was in or out. Then I look at the linesman, I see it's out. I was pretty lucky."

Wozniacki hasn't needed much luck. Her skill level, her determination, and a great pair of wheels combine to make her one of the favorites for this title.

"She's at the top of her game, playing the best tennis of her career," Sharapova said. "Never go into a match underestimating her ability."